.« 



j; WALTER FEWKES 



(No. 1429' 



Reprinted from Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 
(Quarterly Issue), Volume 45 



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City of Washington 

Published by the Smithsonian Institution 

December 9, 1903 







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Reprinted from Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections (Quarterly Issue), 
volume 45. Published December 9, 1903. 




PRELIMINARY REPORT ON AN ARCHEOLOGICAL 
TRIP TO THE WEST INDIES 

By J. WALTER FEWKES- 

Introduction 

The archeological results of a brief visit to Porto Rico in the 
spring of 1902 were so promising that the author was encouraged 
to renew his explorations in the following winter, when he could 
devote more time to his researches. Therefore in November he re- 
turned to the island where he continued until the close of May, 1903, 
with the exception of a month spent in Santo Domingo. The size 
of the collection of prehistoric objects made on this visit so far 
exceeded expectations that a mere preliminary report can call atten- 
tion only to the more important results. These will be considered 
under two general heads— Excavations, and Description of Speci- 
mens. Excavations were confined to Porto Rico and were made 
in caves, village sites, and dance enclosures. The objects considered 
under " description of specimens " embrace those which were pur- 
chased and brought back to Washington, as well as others that 
could not be obtained. 

Excavations 

The nearest approach to ruins of prehistoric Porto Rican struc- 
tures, now surviving, are enclosures surrounded by aligned stones, 
set oil edge, which occur in the less frequented parts of the island. 
These enclosures are square or rectangular and their floor level is 
slightly below the surrounding surface. The stones forming their 
boundary walls are roughly hewn and sometimes bear pictographs, 
in one or two cases the upper end being rudely fashioned to repre- 
sent the head or body of an idol. These structures, which are un- 
doubtedly prehistoric, are sometimes called cercados de los Indios, 
or " Indian enclosures." They are also locally known as juegos 
de bola, from the belief that they were used in a game of ball, 
called batey, of which the Indians were fond. Oviedo describes 
this ball game, saying that it was played in enclosures outside the 
pueblos, where there were seats for the cacique and the spectators. 
Following analogy, we may suppose that other gatherings took 
place in these enclosures, since they were situated near the villages. 



112 




OECll 



.LECTIONS 



We know, for instance, that the islanders had elaborate mortuary 
dances, called areitos, which occurred at the burial of a chief or 
cacique, and from knowledge of kindred people it is probable that 
these areitos were performed near the graves of the dead. His- 
torians are silent regarding the position of the Antillean cemeteries 
or the situation of the plazas in which the areitos were performed, 
but a suspicion that the latter occurred in the juegos de bola, the only 
known prehistoric structures remaining in Porto Rico, suggested to 
the author that cemeteries should be sought in their vicinity. With 
this thought in mind he chose for investigation a juego de bola near 
Utuado, where there are many of these structures in a fairly good 
state of preservation. 

The enclosure chosen for excavation lies about three miles from 
Utuado, on the left side of the road to Ad juntas. Several mounds 
are situated on the south side of this enclosure, one of which is 
partly cut through by the neighboring road. A few feet below the 
surface, in this exposure, the author found fragments of prehistoric 
pottery and a few human bones, a discovery which led him to dig a 
trench completely through the mound. In the course of this work, 
which occupied several workmen the greater part of a week, ten 
skeletons were exhumed within a limited area, and several skulls, 
two of which were comparatively well preserved, were found. 
While the majority of these human remains were so decayed that 
they crumbled before they could be taken from the moist soil, it 
was evident that they represented Indian interments. The skulls 
showed the artificial flattening characteristic of the Antilleans, and 
the position of the larger bones indicated that some of the bodies 
had been buried in a sitting posture. Prehistoric implements and 
a mortuary food bowl were found near one of the skeletons. These 
and other evidences led to the conviction that the mound excavated 
was an Indian cemetery, the first of its kind ever found in Porto Rico. 

The position of this cemetery has an important bearing on the 
interpretation of the neighboring enclosure, for if the areitos, or mor- 
tuary dances, were held at the burial mounds, they must have taken 
place in the juegos de bola near the cemetery. Consequently these 
enclosures were not only places for the game of batey, as popular 
legends assert, but also for the performance of mortuary dances, 
during which songs were sung extolling the illustrious deeds of the 
dead in peace and war and their magic power in aid of the living. 



Smithsonian Misi bllaneous Collections 



Vol. 45, pl. xxxix 




i ELTS WITH STONE HANDLES FROM SANTO DOMINGO. 
I ength, 9'X inches. 2. Length, 7% inches. 3. Length, 9 inches. 



FEWKES] 



ARCHE0L0GICAL TRIP TO WEST INDIES I '4 



CAVE EXPLORATION 

Porto Rico has many noticeable caves, some of which were 
utilized by the aborigines of the island. While there is no good 
evidence that these caverns were dwellings of the Indians for any 
considerable time, there is abundant proof that they ""^f^ 
to in prehistoric times for several purposes. They undoubtedly 
served, especially after the advent of the Europeans, as places of 
refuge and" perhaps for temporary shelter or f or 4he £«»« ° f 
secret rites when the aboriginal cultus was prohibited in public 
There are many evidences that the caves were used for banal, which 
implies that they were places of ceremony, especially as ancestor wor- 
ship was the main element in the Antillean religion The walls of 
many of these caverns bear religious symbols, and niches where idols 
TL* or wood once stood can still be seen These caverns a 
reouted to have yielded many prehistoric objects, and it is probable 
St others could yet be found in their floors. The £*or .was 
anxious to test this belief by systematic excavation, so after visiting 
many of the most notable caves he finally chose for extended study 
one, most conveniently situated for that purpose on the coast three 
miles north of Manati, called Cneva de las Golondnnas, Cave of 

"ttasin this cave showed that it was once frequented by the 
abor^nes while pictographs on the walls gave other evidence of 
tTr former presence. There were found among the debris, on the 
floor many fragments of the pottery peculiar to the islanders, and 
other evidences of primitive life, among which were broken celts, 
bones olanTmals which had served for food, and also ashes and char- 
coal AU of the implements and utensils were °f ancient manufacture 
and so numerous that many people must have -fluente*is coast 

= a bleTtr ZZZJTttZ #£= 

human Done* w hurried interments could not be 

%££^£S£X * *e cave noor through ten feet of 
"shoted, at all levels, art o bj ects similar to toe occurnng on 

the surface, indicating no change m ^ re ' ^^^ a nd 
i pnrp of anv er eat modification between the life of the earlier ana 
dence of any great m ^ occupancy of 

the later occupants, and no sausiaciui y F 
the cave was of very great antiquity. 

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIMENS 



H5 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



[vol. 45 



specimens which he saw or obtained on the trip. It will not be pos- 
sible at this time to compare these with similar objects already 
known ; a detailed description is reserved for a more extended re- 
port, when available documentary and historical references to the 
uses of many of the objects will be freely quoted. Only such speci- 
mens are here considered as will indicate the wealth of new material 
possible to obtain in this almost neglected field. The size and value 
of the collection acquired during a comparatively brief sojourn is the 
best possible evidence of the promise which the West Indian field 
affords to the archeologist. 

The collection brought back to Washington, including the speci- 
mens obtained by excavation and by purchase, numbers over twelve 
hundred specimens. These objects vary in scientific value, for while 
many are duplicates of forms already known to students, others are 
entirely unique. The most important collection obtained by pur- 
chase was from the Right Reverend Fernandez Merino, formerly 
President, now Archbishop of Santo Domingo. This famous col- 
lection, which was the best on the island, contains about one hun- 
dred and ten specimens, most of which are unique. Considering 
our lack of knowledge of the antiquities of Santo Domingo, and the 
scarcity of specimens from this island in the National Museum, the 
acquisition of this rare collection, gathered with care during many 
years by a learned man, is gratifying. 

Collections were also purchased in Porto Rico. Among these may 
be mentioned that of Sr. Zeno Gandia, formerly owned by the 
Gabinete de Lectura, a scientific and literary society which formerly 
existed in Ponce. A small collection was also acquired from Senor 
Angelis of Catania, and another from Sehor Fernandez of Loquillo, 
in the eastern end of the island. 

But by far the largest number of specimens from Porto Rico was 
obtained, one or two at a time, from the natives, commonly called 
Jibaros. For this purpose the author went from house to house in 
the poorer sections of several towns, as Manati, Ciales, Toa Alta, 
Toa Baja, Vega Alta. and Dorado, soliciting these objects directly 
from the people. Almost every small cabin was found to possess 
one or more perfect celts, called piedras de rayo, or thunder-stones, 
concerning which the owners possessed considerable folklore. 

But the material obtained by purchase forms only a part of that 
made use of by the author in his studies. He availed himself of 
the opportunities afforded by his trip to study local collections which 
could not be acquired. Among these may be mentioned a Domini- 
can collection owned bv Senor Imbert. of Puerto Plata, who, al- 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 



Vol. 45, pl. lx 




STONE IMPLEMENTS FROM SANTO DOMINGO AND PORTO RICO. 

i. Polishing Implement (length, 8^ inches). 2. Polishing Implement (length, 4 J4 inches. . 3- Cere- 
monial Celt (length, g% inches). 4. Ceremonial Baton (length, 14 inches). 



FEWK.ES] ARCHEOLOGICAL TRIP TO WEST INDIES 1 l6 

though unwilling to sell, gave every facility for study, kindly allow- 
ing the author free use of his notes and catalogue, in which are 
recorded the localities from which the specimens were obtained. 
The Imbert collection contains several unique objects, among which 
are a wooden idol (the best yet discovered in the West Indies), five 
sticks once used to induce vomiting, several pieces of prehistoric 
pottery of unusual shape, and numerous stone implements and rare 
fetishes. Another Dominican collection, owned by Sefior Des- 
angles (a native painter whose picture of Conoabo attracted atten- 
tion at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo), contains, among 
other prehistoric objects, a human effigy made of burnt clay and 
probably unique. Sr. Jose Gabriel Garcia, an author and a member 
of the leading publishing firm in Santo Domingo city, has many 
Indian specimens. The late Dr. Alesandro Llenas, of Santiago de 
los Caballeros, owned a well-preserved aboriginal wooden stool and 
two prehistoric Antillean skulls ; and a Mr. Hall, an American of 
Puerto Plata, has a collection of stone objects. Both of the latter 
collections were generously placed at the disposal of the writer for 
study. 

There still remain in Porto Rico many scattered prehistoric ob- 
jects and one or two collections, among which may be mentioned 
that of Padre Nazario of Guayanilla. The owner kindly allowed 
the author to inspect this important collection, which contains many 
rare and unique objects. 

STONE IMPLEMENTS 

Celts. — The so-called celts which, as a rule, are finely polished, 
pointed at one end, and sharpened at the other, are called by the 
country people, as above stated, piedras de rayo, or " thunder-stones," 
since they are believed to have fallen from the sky. Almost every 
household has one or more of these stones, which are thought to 
afford protection from lightning, or to be efficacious in the treat- 
ment of certain bodily disorders. The method employed by the 
natrves to determine whether a stone is a " thunder-stone " or not, is 
to tie a string about it and put it in the flame of a candle. If the 
string burns immediately, the stone is not regarded as a true thun- 
der-stone. About five hundred celts tested in this way and re- 
garded by their owners as veritable thunder-stones w-ere purchased. 
These celts are of many forms, from simple polished stones to well- 
made hatchets. Only one specimen of all those obtained in Porto 
Rico was provided with a groove for the attachment of a handle ; in 
this specimen the groove was roughly pecked and was not polished 
like the remaining surface. 



ii; 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



[\OL. 45 



One of the implements collected resembles a double-edged axe ; 
it is oval in form when seen in profile, has a rough surface, and 
is without a notch or groove for halting. Several specimens show 
marks of surface pecking, but not of chipping, their present finish 
evidently having been produced by rubbing or polishing. 

There are several flat, rough, double-edged stone implements, each 
with a notch cut on the opposite sides, evidently for the secure 
attachment of a handle. This variety of celt is well represented in 
the collections from Santo Domingo, but it has not yet been found 
in Porto Rico. None of these is smoothly polished and not one is 
petaloid in form. Other celts have a rough surface, and are pointed 
at one end and broad at the other, with a ridge marking the place of 
hafting. This type, which occurs more abundantly in Santo Do- 
mingo than in Porto Rico, recalls Carib implements described as 
having been found in the Lesser Antilles. 

Several implements of soft stone are pointed at one pole and 
flattened to a cutting edge at the other. They have plane faces and 
rounded edges, thus differing from the next group, in which the 
faces are convex. There are no grooves or ridges for hafting. 

The majority of celts are called petaloid from the resemblance of 
their profile to the petal of a flower. They are of all sizes and in 
some instances are made of stone either rare or unknown to the 
islands. The surface of these implements is convex and finely 
polished, and their forms show variation in the length as compared 
with the breadth. The cutting edge may be straight, slightly 
curved, or at an angle to the axis. In a few instances the " pointed " 
end is blunt, but in no case is there a groove or notch for the attach- 
ment of a handle. There is little doubt, however, that the celts were 
once provided with wooden handles, the stone having been inserted 
in a cleft in the wood and lashed with fiber or held with gum. 

In the Archbishop's collection there are three celts with the blade 
and handle made of solid stone (plate xxxix). One of these 
(figure 2) is rudely fashioned, but another (figure 1) in point of 
finish ranks with the finest known examples. 

Several writers on the archeology of the West Indies record the 
existence of celts with heads or bodies cut in low relief on the sides. 
A beautiful example of this work in the Archbishop's collection has a 
human head and a part of the body and arms cut on one face, as 
shown in plate xl, 3. This fine implement is termed a ceremonial 
celt on the theory that it was used in Antillean rites. It probably was 
not provided with a handle, which would have concealed portions of 
the figure in relief. 



FEWKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL TRIP TO WEST INDIES Il8 

Chisels and other Implements. — A number of stone chisels, used 
for incising the complicated designs on objects of wood or stone 
were obtained in Porto Rico. These are cylindrical, and are either 
flattened to a sharp edge or pointed at one or both extremities. 
Some of these chisels have a cutting edge on one end and a point 
at the other, while others are blunt at one end with a point or an 
edge at the other. One of the chisels is perforated at the end 
opposite the sharp edge. 

Other Stone Objects. — A stone implement, not belonging to the 
petaloid type of celts nor to the chisels, is of ovoid form which con- 
tinues at one pole into a slightly curved extension that fits the 
hand so well as to suggest its use as a mawl. 

Another type of stone objects, possibly ceremonial, consists of a 
stone disk with a slender handle attached to the rim. The richly 
decorated specimen of this type in the Smithsonian collection (plate 
xl, 4) was obtained in Santo Domingo by Mr. Gabb. 

Two other stones (plate xl, 1, 2), one hard and black, the other 
brown and of softer material, are flat at one end, with bifurcated 
tips to the handles. One may assume that these objects were used 
as rubbing or polishing implements. Handles with bifurcated tips 
occur also in stone implements from the Lesser Antilles. 

One of the stones in the Archbishop's collection has a profile like 
that of a clam-shell, the valve area having rounded projections. 
There is also in this collection a stone of melon shape, with meridian 
surface grooves which remind one of the ambulacral plates of a sea- 
urchin. The irregularity of these grooves and the artificially pecked 
surface stamp this object as an implement rather than as a fossil, 
which it somewhat resembles. 

Some of the many stone balls found in Porto Rico, especially in 
ball courts or in streams, are undoubtedly artificial ; but others are 
natural, water-worn bowlders. They vary in size from several feet 
in diameter to that of a marble. One of the smaller specimens, made 
of soft stone, has small pits at the opposite poles. 

Among the problematical objects from Porto Rico are two white 
stones unlike any yet described. They are cylindrical, four and a 
half inches long by an inch in diameter, and perforated at each end 
in such manner as to suggest, at first glance, that they were strung 
together in necklaces. A similar stone object, somewhat better made 
and ornamented with a human hand carved in relief on the surface, 
was seen in the Nazario collection. The stone cylinders are sym- 
bolic, not decorative, objects, and were carried in the hand for some 
unknown purpose. In his excavations at Utuado the author found 
a similar object made of bone. 



ii9 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



[VOL. 45 



Stone beads, of which there are many in the Imbert collection, in 
addition to the perforation through the axis, often have a smaller 
hole near the end, at right angles to this perforation, possibly for the 
insertion of feathers. 

One of many problematical specimens in the Archbishop's collec- 
tion is a large, flat, circular stone with a perforated extension on the 
rim (plate xli, i). The author has seen another specimen, rec- 
tangular in shape, with two extensions, one on each angle of the same 
side. The use of these stones is unknown. It has been suggested that 
they were used to aid parturition, but there is no evidence to sup- 
port this theory. One surface of the circular stone is decorated with 
a shallow, meandering groove ; the other is without ornamentation. 

Senor Imbert's collection contains a stone slab, a foot square, 
which the owner regards as a gaming implement. On each face 
there are six small pits arranged in two rows, and Senor Imbert 
believes that a pebble or other small object was placed under one or 
another of these pits and covered by the stone. It is supposed that, 
in playing the game, the opponent guessed under which depression 
the pebble was concealed, possibly indicating his choice by pointing 
at the corresponding depression on the upper surface. The author, 
having no other interpretation of the use of this slab, which is un- 
doubtedly artificially worked and prehistoric, mentions this explana- 
tion more as a plausible hypothesis than as an exact determination of 
its use. 

Stone Mortars. — Excavated stones, ranging widely in form and 
identified as mortars, were collected both in Santo Domingo and in 
Porto Rico. One of the best specimens, in the form of a shallow 
bowl, forms a part of the Archbishop's collection. Others are 
elongated or boat-shaped, and some have ornamented elevations on 
the rim. 

In the Archbishop's collection, also, there is a flat stone slab with 
a shallow depression on one side as if designed to serve likewise as 
a mortar ; but as the depression is perforated, it could not well have 
been used as such. It may have formed part of a primitive mill and 
have been used with an oval stone, flat on one side and convex on 
the other. The latter object, which has a pit in the middle and 
shallow grooves irregularly arranged in a radial direction on the 
convex side, may have served as a nether stone to the perforated 
slab. 

Ornamented Stone Pestles. — The skill of the Antilleans in stone 
working is nowhere better shown than in the carvings on the handles 
of their pestles. These carvings are so well executed that the pestles 




CO 

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O 
V. 



n 

o 



o 




o 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 



Vol. 45. pl. xi.ii 




4. 5 



ORNAMENTAL STONE PESTLES FROM SANTO DOMINGO. 
i. Height. S y 2 inches, a. Height, 9 inches. 3. Height, 4^ inches. 4. Height, 4^ inches. 5. Height, 
S}i inches 6. Height, 7% inches. 7. Height, y's inches. 



FEWKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL TRIP TO WEST INDIES 120 

are sometimes called idols, and it is indeed possible that some of 
them may have served as such. The majority, however, were house- 
hold implements, and were designed purely for secular use, the 
figures cut on the handles being merely for decoration. So far as 
they have been studied, the carved pestles from Santo Domingo excel 
in finish those of the other West Indian islands, the Porto Rican ex- 
amples being cruder and less carefully made. The Archbishop's 
collection contains several fine pestles with ornamented handles, 
many of which are adorned with human figures having heads, bodies, 
and limbs beautifully cut. One of the best of these figures (plate 
xlii, i ) represents a human being lying on its back, with legs drawn 
up and hands resting on the knees. In another fine specimen the 
handle terminates in a carved human figure with legs drawn to the 
body (plate xlii, 2). The opposite end of the handle of this speci- 
men, where it joins the base, is surrounded by an incised broken line 
—an ornamental motive which constantly appears in Antillean 
pottery. The well-made pestle shown in plate xlii, 6, has the head 
and body well cut on the handle, the arms and legs appearing on 
the sides. 

The base of these pestles is ordinarily lenticular, but in the ex- 
ample shown in plate xlii, 5, it is spherical ; the whole handle is 
fashioned into a human figure, the head being well made, the legs 
sculptured in low relief but appressed to the body. There is a simple 
pestle in which the handle takes the form of a bird, the head and 
wings being well represented. Other collections from Santo 
Domingo contain pestles with bird-shaped handles, the ends of 
which are modified into rude heads. 

IDOLS 

In order to show the position of idolatry in the primitive worship 
of the West Indians, a few words on the general nature of Antillean 
religion may be opportune. According to early writers the inhabit- 
ants of Santo Domingo worshiped stone, wood, and clay idols, 
called semis. It is learned from the writings of Padre Roman 
Pane, Peter Martyr, Benzoni, and others, that the sun, earth, and 
other nature powers were also called semis; therefore it is evident 
that the term was applied not only to idols, but to the spirits which 
they represented ; thus the sky-god was called a semi and its wooden 
image bore the same name, in which case the term was made to desig- 
nate both magic powers and their personations, a custom universally 
followed in American religions. The Antilleans, according to the 
above authorities, likewise called their ancients or ancestors semis, 



121 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



[VOL. 45 



and sometimes gave the same name to their priests. Relics of the 
dead, as human skulls or other bones, images or idols, and other 
symbols or paintings of the same, were known as zemis. Each clan 
had, in the keeping of a chief, an idol or image of an ancestral 
semi, the symbolism of which was characteristic of that clan. One 
Spanish writer declares that zemis are practically what Christians 
call angels — the immortal spirits of men. Here, also, the word 
refers to both the spirit and the personation — the magic power of 
the dead or an idol symbolizing or representing the same. 

The worship of zemis, which practically included all supernatural, 
gave rise to the use of a complicated system of objective symbols, 
idols, images, relics, and the like, each of which had a special and 
individual meaning. The idols were many and varied ; they were 
made of wood, clay, or stone, and sometimes took the form of 
effigies of which the skulls or other bones of ancestors formed a 
part. There are representations of these various idols in several 
collections, but the present article will consider only those of stone, 
wood, and clay. 

Stone Rings. — Among the problematic archeological objects from 
the West Indies none is more characteristic of Porto Rico than the 
so-called stone collars or rings. They are practically limited to Porto 
Rico and the immediately adjacent islands, and to the eastern end of 
Santo Domingo, for they have not been reported from Cuba, Jamaica, 
or the continent. There are approximately one hundred of these ob- 
jects in the museums of Europe and the United States, and a few 
still remain in Porto Rico. To the Latimer collection, which in 
these objects is the richest in the world, the author has added eight 
specimens, some of which are unusually fine. 

The use and meaning of the stone rings have given rise to much 
speculation, since historical records give no satisfactory clue to their 
function. These objects were apparently not mentioned by any 
chronicler contemporary with their use, and, indeed, they escaped 
notice until a little more than fifty years ago — three and a half cen- 
turies after the Indians had disappeared. 

It has been conjectured that they were bandoliers worn by the 
caciques as insignia of rank, but some of them are too small for such 
purpose and others too heavy for a man to bear on his shoulders. 
The author believes that they were idols, and has therefore included 
them among the zemis. As an interpretation of what the objects 
represent, it is suggested that they are images of the coiled bodies 
of serpents or reptilian monsters which personated some great nature 
power, possibly a sky or wind god. 



FEWKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL TRIP TO WEST INDIES 122 

The heads of these idols, however, are not apparent, although no 
idol can be regarded as complete without the head. For this im- 
portant part, which in all idols among primitive men is most carefully 
made, we look to another group of polished stone objects, also 
peculiar to the islands in which the stone rings are found, viz., the 
masks and heads, called mammiform images, which have been figured 
by several writers on West Indian antiquities. These masks are 
supposed to have, formerly fitted certain roughened surfaces on the 
stone rings forming the coiled bodies of the serpent, in the manner 
indicated in plate xli, 2. The arguments for and against this 
hypothesis, which was first suggested by Sr. J. J. Acosta in the notes 
to his edition of Inigo's Historia de Puerto Rico, cannot be given 
here, but will be considered more at length in other publications. 

Idols with Conical Projections. — Among the stone objects in the 
Latimer collection, described by Prof. O. T. Mason, 1 occur cer- 
tain tripointed specimens to which he gives the name " mammiform 
stones." These specimens, like the stone collars, have remained 
enigmatical up to the present time, but the true use of some of them, 
in the opinion of the writer, was, as above suggested, for attachment 
as heads to the coiled serpents or reptiles of which the stone rings 
represent the bodies. 

Several of the tripointed stones bear representations of fore or 
hind legs (plate xliii, 6) on a projection opposite that which contains 
the head. The fore-legs, when present, are cut on the sides of the 
conic elevation, while in the region of the shoulders are pits, which 
indeed are sometimes present even when there is no representation 
of limbs. In one or two instances there are two of these pits on 
each side. Some doubt arises whether these pits represent ears or 
shoulders, but their position on the legs corresponds with similar 
depressions sometimes found on the front legs of stools made in ani- 
mal form. Possibly stone or shell ornaments were once inserted in 
these pits, in which case they doubtless represented ear pendants. 

The fact that several of these tripointed stones have fore or hinu 
legs cut upon them shows conclusively that in some instances they 
represent the complete bodies of idols, and were not fastened as 
heads to stone rings or other objects. An examination of the form 
of the head, and especially of the mouth, of these stones, reveals a 
similarity to corresponding parts of different animals, as fishes, 
lizards, and birds. 

In considering the outlines of these tripointed stones it is found 

Latimer and Guesde Porto Rico Collections, Smithsonian Reports. 187^ 
and 18S4, reprinted 1899. 



I23 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS [VOL. 45 

that while preserving much the same form, they fall into several 
types. In the first type (plates xliii, 4, 5) one of the P™nces 1 
cut in the form of a head, while another represents the , hm 
bodv the conical prominence remaining unchanged. In another 
type '(plate XLHI, 6) all three prominences are without carving, but 
a face is cut between two of their projections, the legs either appear- 
ing on the side of the stone or being wholly unrepresented. It still 
another type (plate xliii, i, 2) the conical prominence is modified 
into a mouth or nose, giving the stone, in some instances, the form 

^^Archbishop's collection contains a good specimen (plate 
xliii, 5) of the first type of these objects; there is a head on one 
project on, limbs on the other, and a conical protuberance .between 
tVtwo. Two specimens of this type from Porto ^*««J£ 
little from those in the Latimer collection. One of the latter (plate 
xliii 4) is of fine brown stone, the other (plate xliv. 2) of black 
basaltic rock Both are smooth and well made, while the atter is 
one of the largest yet recorded. Another (plate xliv, i) of the same 
type, made of white marble with yellow patches, may be considered 
the finest specimen in the collection obtained by the writer. Its 
conical process, instead of being pointed, is hemispherical, and the 
surface is decorated with incised geometric figures among which the 
circle and triangle predominate. A small mammiform idol also of 
the second type, is made of black stone with surface decorated with 
Incised circles and other geometrical figures. This object shows 
superficial remnants of a black resin or varnish which possibly orig- 
inal covered the surface of all these idols. A pit on the back of 
the conoidal projection recalls a similar depression on the head of 
certain other specimens. Not all these stones of the second type 
have faces cut upon the conical protuberances ; several were found 
which are perfectly smooth, although their forms are strictly the 
same as those on which eyes, nose, and mouth are indicated. One of 
these, which is very small and smoothly polished, is significant owing 
to the light which it sheds on the use of these stones. This I will 

shortlv refer to. 

The third type (plate xliii, I, 2) includes specimens m which the 
conical projection does not exist or in which its place is taken by he 
snout or mouth of an animal. The general form of this type is the 
same as that of the other mammiform images, having the slightly 
concave, rough under surface terminating in a prominence at each 
end while the conical projection is replaced by a mouth or nose, 
recalling a form resembling a mask. In other words we have in 



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JPEWKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL TRIP TO WEST INDIES 1 24 

these objects an intermediate morphological link between mammi- 
form stones and masks, although more closely allied to the former. 

Two specimens of this hitherto unknown type of idols occur in 
the Archbishop's collection. The first (plate xliv, 3), made of light 
brown stone, has a shallow eye, an elongated mouth, and fore-legs 
cut on the sides in low relief. The second example (plate xliv, 4) 
is even more elaborately made, the details of the jaw being more 
completely worked out. In this specimen the fore-legs are not rep- 
resented, but the raised forehead and throat ridges peculiar to other 
mammiform images are well shown. The eye sockets are deep, 
the nostrils appear in relief, and there are superficial markings sug- 
gesting teeth. 

In studying the form and position of parts of this type it is evi- 
dent that it is practically the same as that to which belong the pre- 
ceding two with conical projections on top of the head, so that any 
valid objection to a theory of the use of the objects belonging to this 
type applies also to the others. 

The specimen next to be considered (plate xliii, 1,2) also has the 
tripointed form of the mammiform zemi, but it lacks the conoidal 
elevation, and in that respect is more like a mask. It resembles the 
third type, or the two specimens last mentioned, except that the 
mouth, instead of replacing the conical elevation, is situated on one 
side, the nose being extraordinarily flattened. This specimen, like 
the last two, came from Santo Domingo ; it was purchased from Sr. 
Zeno Gandia and formerly belonged to the Gabinete de Lectura 
at Ponce, Porto Rico. 

The author also purchased in Porto Rico a rude stone head, re- 
sembling in certain respects the one last mentioned, but differing 
from it in having a projection at the top. A corresponding pro- 
tuberance forms the neck, suggesting that the stone may have been 
lashed to some other object, such as a stone ring. A beautiful stone 
of the third type, in which the nose takes the place of the conoid pro- 
jection, was purchased from Senor Gandia. Its lower, slightly con- 
cave surface has been fitted to one of the Porto Rican collars, as 
shown in plate XLI, 2. 

In the absence of information regarding the use of these tripointed 
or mammiform stones here identified as idols, it has been suggested 
that they were merely highly ornamented mortars, the object when 
in use being reversed — the conoidal projection being inserted in the 
ground for stability, and the slightly concave surface thus brought 
uppermost. This theory is advocated by Im Thurn, a generally 
excellent authority on account of his intimate knowledge of related 
tribes. 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS [VOL. 45 

But if this supposition be correct, why, it may be asked, has so 
much care been given to the ornamentation of the conoid prominence 
in the third type, which would be buried in the earth? It may also 
be pertinent to call attention to the tripointed stones with perfectly 
smooth surfaces, and particularly to one which is barely half an inch 
in length. Certainly these are not adapted in size for grinding im- 
plements, and their superficial polish would also seem to prohibit 
their use as such. It is evident that at least the small and smooth 
tripointed stones were not used as mortars, and as their form is prac- 
tically the same as that of the larger ones, although the latter have a 
rough surface, it is doubtful if either type was used for grinding. 

A direct statement by Ramon Pane regarding different forms 
of zemis should have great weight in determining the signifi- 
cance of these stones. He says that the Haytians had a form of 
zemi with " three points," evidently referring to some of the in- 
pointed stones above mentioned. This writer also states that this 
form of tripointed objects was believed to make the gutca grow. 

Stone Disks with Faces on one Side.— Two specimens of stone 
disks, bearing faces, are contained in the collection from Porto Rico. 
Although in their general outline they resemble the so-called masks 
of other authors, they differ from them in some particulars. It is 
possible to interpret them as symbolic masks, but while they could not 
have been worn over the face, they may have been attached to staves 
and set in mortuary mounds or carried in processions during the 
rites attending ancestor worship. 

A n nigh stone, convex on one side and flat on the other, on which 
is a well-cut face, was purchased from Sr. Zeno Gandia. and a some- 
what similar stone, a part of the edge of which is broken, was col- 
lected by the author in the mountains near Utuado, Porto Rico. 

small head with a part of the body occurs in the Imbert col- 
lection at Puerto Plata; it is of finely polished syenitic rock, and 
the eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and teeth are unusually well made. This 
object was evidently an idol. 

The Archbishop's collection contains a stone (plate xliii, 3) which, 
when viewed in profile, is seen to be trilobate, having a median projec- 
tion flanked on each side by smaller ones. The middle projection has 
three depressions so arranged as to suggest eyes and mouth. This 
object is provisionally regarded as a crude idol of the mammiform 
varietv. but it bears no resemblance to the tripointed forms. 

Another stone head in the Imbert collection is spherical in form 
and has an extension at each pole in which there is a slight depres- 
sion. The eyes, nose, and mo'th are represented in relief; but the 




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Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 



Vol. 45, pl. xlv 




i. Side view ; height, 10^ inches. 




2. Top view; width 10% inches. 
TRIPOINTED VASE FROM SANTO DOMINGO. 



FEVVKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL TRIP TO WEST INDIES 126 

remarkable feature of this specimen is three " wens " or knobs, one 
on the forehead and one on each temple. This head was found in 
the ruins of old Fort Santo Tomas, Santo Domingo, and was pre- 
sented to Senor Imbert by Jose Roman Perez. 

In a collection of prehistoric objects once the property of the late 
Dr. Llenas, of Santiago de los Caballeros, but now owned by his 
son, there is a similar specimen which should be mentioned in con- 
nection with the one last described. This is a stone ball like those 
so constantly found near the juegos de bola of Porto Rico, having the 
surface smooth with the exception of three knobs arranged in a 
triangle at one pole. Unlike the Imbert specimen, however, no face 
is carved upon it. 

STONE AMULETS 

A considerable number of small stone fetishes or amulets were 
seen in various localities of Santo Domingo and Porto Rico and 
a few were purchased by the author for the National Museum. 
Among the stone fetishes in Santo , Domingo may be mentioned 
those in the collection of Senor Imbert of Puerto Plata, and those in 
the Nazario collection of Porto Rico. The specimens obtained con- 
vey a fair idea of the typical form of these objects. 

The Antillean stone amulets are regarded as personal fetishes 
which were worn on the neck or breast. Early writers speak of the 
native custom of wearing small stone clan fetishes also on their fore- 
heads when the warriors went into battle. 

In the Archbishop's collection there is a twin amulet or fetish (plate 
xlvti, 4) representing two individuals united at their edges, the only 
specimen of its form known to the writer. One of the amulets of 
this general type, which is made of white stone, is perforated from 
one side to the other, but most of them have holes at the edges and 
not through the body. 

The finest amulet obtained in Porto Rico is somewhat larger than 
those from Santo Domingo ; it is made of marble, with the legs carved 
in relief and the virile organ conspicuous. The numerous forms of 
Santo Domingo stone amulets in the Imbert collection vary in size 
from an inch upward. There are others of shell which will be de- 
scribed later. 1 



POTTERY 



Although the prehistoric inhabitants of the West Indies were 
potters, none of their earthenware is of high order. They excelled 

'For a fuller account of these amulets see American Anthropologist 
(n. s.), vol. 5, October-December, 1903. 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



h 



in relief decoration, practised surface painting only to a limited ex- 
tent, and were apparently ignorant of glazing. The clay used in 
their earthenware was coarse, but in some instances the finished 
product was polished. 

The pottery objects vary in form from the shallow platter to the 
graceful vase, and include bottle-shaped jars and simple double- 
handled cooking pots. To one of the latter the soot still adhered 
when found. The most elaborate of all these vessels are the effigy 
forms, on which the head and other parts of the body are repre- 
sented in relief. Marks of the coils of clay by which the vessels 
were built up may still be seen in several bowls. The surfaces were 
polished with smoothing stones evidently in much the same manner 
as among the Pueblo tribes of our Southwest. 

One of the exceptional forms of Antillean pottery in the Arch- 
bishop's collection from Santo Domingo is a vase (plate xlv) with 
a central prolongation for a neck and two lateral extensions, re- 
sembling mammas, on which decorated nipples appear. The central 
prolongation appears to have been made separately from the body, 
and to have been later attached with resin or gum. It is ornamented 
with eyes, mouth, and other organs in relief. In addition to its 
rarity in form, this jar is a striking specimen symbolically, the 
genitals of both sexes being represented in its decoration. 

A small flat dish is decorated with a sinuous elevation extending 
about it, recalling the ornamentation of a fragment of pottery de- 
scribed by Mason. The two bottle-shaped vessels, with their necks 
ornamented in relief and the surfaces decorated with incised figures, 
are not duplicated in collections of West Indian pottery. These v 
obtained from the Archbishop of Santo Domingo. 

Among the common objects found in the excavation of caves, 
village sites, and burial mounds, are many small, burnt-clay heads, 
often grotesquely human in shape, with protuberant mouths and 
eyes, suggesting the heads of monkeys, birds, lizards, and other 
animals. By some writers and many collectors these heads are sup- 
d to be idols and are called zemis, but there is good evidence 
that they are simply relief ornaments from the sides or rims of clay 
vessels, a perfect one of which, in the form of a shallow bowl, occurs 
in the Archbishop's collection. 

The boat-shaped effigy vase shown in plate xlvi has a projection 
on one end bearing a face, and ridges or elevations on the sides repre- 
senting limbs, while the upper surface is ornamented with incised 
lines forming complex figures. This vase is said to have been found 
in a cave at Aguas Buenas, in the interior of Porto Rico, but unfortu- 
nately the author could not purchase it. 



FEWKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL TRIP TO WEST INDIES 128 

In the collection owned by Seiior Neuman, of Ponce, there is a 
globular effigy vase representing a bird, the wings, head, and broken 
tail of which are somewhat conventionalized 

A perforated cylindrical roller of terra-cotta, from the Arch- 
bishop's collection, has its surface cut with an elaborate design. It is 
supposed to be a potter's tool and to have been used in transferring 
patterns to the surfaces of earthenware before firing. A circular 
clay disk, upon which is graven a simple design, may have been used 
for a similar purpose. 

WOOD CARVINGS 

The pre-Columbian West Indians were adept in carving, and 
fashioned many implements, idols, and other objects from the hardest 
varieties of wood. Their large canoes were manufactured from 
the trunks of trees, and the highly ornamented paddles by which they 
were propelled are mentioned by several of the early writers. 
Cassava-graters, clubs, stools, serpents, idols, and sticks used to 
induce vomiting are among the specimens of carved wood worthy 
of description. 

Cassava-graters. — Flat or curved wooden boards with sharp stones 
so attached as to make a rough surface on which to grind the root of 
the manihot are represented in Santo Domingo collections. One 
of the best of these is owned by Sefior Desangles of Santo Domingo 
city ; another, in the collection of Sefior Cambiaso, also of Santo 
Domingo, has the sharp stones fastened to the surface of the curved 
wooden board in geometric designs similar to those on Carib objects. 

Clubs. — There are several so-called macanas or aboriginal Antil- 
lean clubs in Sefior Cambiaso's collection. Although similar imple- 
ments were undoubtedly used by the Porto Ricans, no specimen 
has yet been found on that island. 

The Smithsonian collection contains a broken ceremonial baton 
from Santo Domingo, which may be considered under this head. It 
consists of a shaft of wood, at one end of which is cut an animal 
figure with a cap shaped like a bird. In general form this cap re- 
sembles the stone birds sometimes found in Porto Rico, one of which 
is owned by Mr. Yunghannis of Bayamon. There is every prob- 
ability that this baton was used in a way somewhat similar to the 
staves bearing animal images which were erected by the Indians of 
Guiana on their burial mounds. A similar custom is described by 
Gumilla, who mentions the use of like objects in the mortuary cere- 
monies of the Salivas and other Orinoco tribes. 

Stools. — The natives of the West Indies made stools or reclining 
chairs of wood or stone, to which they gave the names turey and 



[ISCELL^ 



[vol. 45 



duho. These objects were fashioned with great care, sometimes 
in the form of animals, and often were decorated with much skill. 
Ten specimens of duhos 1 were seen by the author during his visit, 
five of which were made of wood and five of stone. Eight of the 
specimens seen were from Porto Rico. One of the two wooden 
stools especially worthy of mention is in the Imbert collection ; the 
other, which is the best specimen known, belonged to the late Dr. 
Llenas. 

Idol. — Sefior Imbert possesses a well preserved idol of human 
form (plate xlvii), different from any yet described. It is made 
from a log of hardwood, and was once apparently covered with a 
black pitch, patches of which still adhere to the surface. The idol 
assumes a sitting posture, with hands on the knees, below which are 
enlargements representing the bands with which the Caribs bound 
their limbs to increase their size. The head is provided with a 
canopy, as in similar wooden figures. Evidently the eyes were of 
shell or gold, remnants of an adhesive pitch with which they were 
fastened in place being still visible in the sockets. The head is 
hollow, or has a cavity which communicates exteriorly by a hole in 
the back. Possibly a tube formerly connected this orifice with a 
hidden man who uttered responses to the questions of the priest 
through the medium of the idol ; in other words, we may suppose 
that the image was sometimes used for oracular purposes, as de- 
scribed by Oviedo and Gomara. 

Serpent. — One of the most remarkable specimens of West Indian 
carving is an image of a serpent owned by Sefior Eugenio Velasquez 
of Puerto Plata. It is made of very hard black wood, the smoothly 
polished surface being decorated with incised geometrical figures. 
It represents a serpent in a single coil, with head slightly enlarged 
and tail flattened. The head is well carved and is provided with 
shallow eye-pits in which stones, shells, or gold nuggets were for- 
merly inserted. The snake-like character of the mouth and nostrils 
is well represented, but the teeth are indicated only by scratches. 
On the top of the head is an incised circle and other geometrical 
figures, and the neck has a collar of incised lines, broken at one 
point, as is common in Antillean circular figures. Along the back 
of the body there is a row of four circles alternating with tri- 



1 The Jibaros of Porto Rico, especially those in the mountains, still use a 
wooden stool with goat-skin seat to which they give the name turey. Probably 
the best locality in which to procure these modern stools is near Adjuntas, 
where lives an old man who is very clever in their manufacture. The orna- 
mentation of the modern tureys is limited to inlaid work on the back. 



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Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 



Vol. 45, pl. Ni.vii 




WOODEN IDOL FROM SANTO DOMINGO. 
(Imbert Collection; about one-fourth natural size.) 



FEWKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL TRIP TO WEST INDIES I3O 

angles and parallel lines, their size diminishing and the orna- 
mentation ending a short distance from the tail, which is flattened 
and not decorated. On the belly there are well carved, smoothly 
polished scales. This wooden serpent is probably one of those to 
which early writers refer, and was no doubt highly venerated by its 
former owners. The object might also possibly have been used in 
more modern voodoo rites and ceremonies, but .as designs upon it 
are characteristic of those occurring on prehistoric artifacts from 
the island, there is every likelihood of its ancient character. 
^ Regurgitating Sticks.— In describing Antillean ceremonies, early 
Spanish writers casually state that, in approaching the idols the 
priests were accustomed to thrust sticks down their throats to induce 
vomiting, in order that their bodies might be purified before certain 
rites were performed. This custom, which occurs also in other 
primitive religions, is mentioned by Gomara, Benzoni, and others, 
and is illustrated in several early works ; the known descriptions and 
figures of these regurgitating sticks, however, are not detailed 
enough to convey an idea of their form. In Senor Imbert's collection 
there are five wooden sticks, consisting of decorated shafts with 
handles, which were found with the wooden idol already mentioned, 
hence are believed to have been used in the regurgitation rite. Their 
shafts are slightly curved, and are flattened and smoothly rounded 
at their edges, so that they bear a general resemblance to curved 
paper-knives. 

One of the sticks has the handle carved in the form of a kneeling 
figure, with globular head and with eyes represented by sunken pits 
in which, the finder claimed, there were nuggets of gold when he 
obtained the specimen. The fore-legs of the figure, as is customary 
in such carvings, are placed close to the side of the head. The part 
of the shaft just below the handle is decorated with incised grooves, 
ferrules, and other designs. 

Another specimen, more elaborate than the first, has a handle 
carved into an image, the ribs and backbone of which are well in- 
dicated. The arms are represented in front of the body, and each 
hand carries an object different from the other. The feet are more 
like bird-claws, but the legs have incised lines representing the 
bands or garters with which the Caribs are said to have girt their 
limbs to increase the size of their calves. The shaft just below the 
handle is ferruled, and the incised lines at this point show a break, 
called the "life line," such as occurs in pottery decorations, idols, 
and stone pestles. Another of these sticks has a terminal figure with 
a perforated elevation at the back of the head. Legs are absent, but 



i3i 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



Lvol. 45 



the arms are well made and are flexed at the elbows, bringing the 
hands to the chest while the fingers are turned to the palms. This 
specimen also has the broken incised lines on the shaft. 

In the other two specimens of these regurgitating sticks there are 
slight variations in the arrangement of the limbs of the figure form- 
ing the handles, otherwise they are generally similar to those de- 
scribed. 

SHELL AND BONE CARVINGS 

Antillean shell and bone carvings are practically unrepresented in 
the museums of the United States, and little is known of the skill of 
the aborigines of the West Indies in work of this kind. It is there- 
fore with gratification that the author is enabled to mention a few 
specimens of shell and bone carving which he was fortunate enough 
to obtain. The best specimens of this sort that were seen are in the 
Archbishop's collection from Santo Domingo. 

One of the finest examples of shell carving (plate xlviii, 4) is made 
of the lip of a conch and was apparently used as an amulet. It con- 
sists of a head mounted on a base which is perforated for suspension 
from the neck or forehead. Great care was given to the carving of 
both the head and the base, the decoration consisting of cross-hatch- 
ing and circles. The head is generally globular in form ; the eye- 
sockets are depressions or pits in which gold balls were formerly 
inserted ; while the ears, which are cut in relief, also have pits on 
the side as if to contain similar ornaments. The technique of the 
mouth and the teeth is good. The end of the nose is slightly 
upturned ; the back of the head bears incised lines arranged in 
geometric patterns, following the Caribbean style of decoration. 

Another carved amulet, of bone, (plate xlviii, 5) represents a seated 
figure with arms akimbo, the hands resting on the knees. Eyes, 
ears, and appendages to the top of the head are well cut, but the 
nose is lacking. That part of the figurine which from the front 
appears to be the neck, is in reality a mouth having rows of teeth, 
just back of which the object is perforated as if for the passage of a 
cord by which it was suspended. The details of body and limbs are 
well worked out, even the umbilicus and leg bands being represented. 
The general form of this image suggests an amulet for suspension 
from the body, or perhaps tied to the forehead, a custom which the 
Caribs are reputed to have observed when they went into battle. 

In the Imbert collection there is a flat, rectangular shell plate, about 
twice as long as broad, perforated at each end. One face of the 
disk is smooth, but the opposite is decorated with incised circles, 
dots, triangles, and other figures. 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 



Vol. 45, PL. XLVIII 




4,5 



CARVED SHELL AND BONE OBJECTS, 
i. Regurgitating stick of bone (side view, % natural size). 2. Front and back views of handle {% natural size). 
1 win amulet of shell ( * , natural size). 4. Shell amulet (% natural size). 5. Bone amulet (natural size). 



few£es] archeological trip to west indies 132 

Shell celts, although common in the Lesser Antilles, were not 
found by the author in Porto Rico ; a few, however, exist in local 
collections, including one owned by Mr. Junghannis of Bayamon, 
which is almost identical with those from Barbadoes. These objects 
are generally made from the lip of a more or less fossilized conch. 

Apparently several genera of living marine shells were highly 
prized by the prehistoric Antilleans, for tinklers or bells, for beads, 
etc., and many genera of marine mollusca have been found in graves 
and caves in the mountain regions of the island. 

The finest specimen of bone carving (plate xlviii, i, 2), one of 
the treasures of the Archbishop's collection, was made apparently 
from the rib of the manati, or sea-cow. It consists of a curved shaft, 
flat on one side and slightly rounded on the other, and a handle skil- 
fully fashioned into a kneeling figure with a flattened crowned head. 
The ears are two prominent extensions, with roughened pits or 
depressions as if for the insertion of fragments of shell or gold 
nuggets. The position of the eyes is indicated by shallow pits, about 
the margins of which are concentric rings. The mouth is incised, 
but is without teeth. The body is smoothly polished ; the umbilicus 
and male genitals are represented, and the waist is surrounded by 
a band. The vertebras appear as a row of five shallow, incised 
rectangles along the middle dorsal line. The arms and legs are 
well cut ; one hand rests on the knee, the other on the chest. The 
toes are shown on the dorsal side of the image, the soles of the 
two feet being turned in that direction. The incised lines about the 
legs and arms represent the bandages with which the Antilleans are 
said to have bound their limbs. There is a small knob on the outer 
side of the ankle. A portion of the handle, as well as of the shaft, 
is stained green, probably caused by its burial in the guano of the 
cave in which it was found. The author believes this carved rib 
was used for the same purpose as the wooden regurgitation sticks 
above described. 

In the Nazario collection there is a clavicle with a carved figure 
forming the handle. This object was also probably used by the 
priests to induce vomiting. 

PICTOGRAPHS 

There are many rock etchings or pictographs in Porto Rico, par- 
ticularly on the walls of caves, but as a rule they are more or less 
obscured by stalagma or vegetable growth. The best preserved ex- 
amples of picture-writing occur on large bowlders near waterfalls 
or rapids, or along the banks of the rivers, since the rocks on which 



133 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS [vol. 45 

they are here cut are not so easily eroded as the softer formations 
which form the walls of caves. 

The author devoted special study to the pictographs near Utuado, 
at other points along the Rio Grande de Arecibo, and in the caves 
near Manati, especially in the Cave of the Swallows, previously 
referred to. These pictographs are usually circular figures repre- 
senting faces or heads with prominent ears, and sometimes with 
horns. When, as sometimes happens, bodies are represented, the 
limbs are appressed to the sides. No animal pictures are to be seen, 
unless certain zigzag figures may be interpreted to represent snakes. 
But geometrical figures, as spirals, circles, triangles, and rectangles, 
are not uncommon. 1 



1 For a fuller account see " Prehistoric Porto Rico Pictographs," American 
Anthropologist (n. s.), vol. 5, July-September, 1903. 



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